Travel

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Packing Cubes

Packing cubes are becoming increasingly more popular for travelling. I have been using them for around 3 years now. In fact I have 2 sets pink and blue – 1 set for me and 1 set for Mr Fitz for the rare occasion we use 2 suitcases, like on our recent cruise holiday. Alternatively if we use one shared suitcase the different colours quickly identify who’s clothing they contain.

Packing cubes in 2 colours

These little zipped cubes will give you back some of your sanity while you travel! They help you to stay organized, keep your belongings compact, and find what you need in record time from your luggage.

What are Packing Cubes?

Packing cubes are relatively small soft containers made of fabric, often in a rectangular shape, used for packing clothing. They fit neatly into your luggage, separating items inside.

The usually come in packs containing several cubes and often extra zipped bags for dirty laundry, shoes and toiletries. Amazon is a great place to start – there is plenty of choice to suit your needs.

Now that I consider myself an experienced Packing Cube user I thought I would provide you with my top 3 benefits for using them in my experience.

Organisation

These fabulous packing cubes keep your luggage organised, no longer does all the contents flop about within your case or you have to frantically search through to find that item that you want. Each cube can be used for particular groups of clothing – I often separate my clothes into tops, shorts, beachwear and lingerie. I can then find items more easily.

Packing cubes and pouches fit snuggly – photo taken after I’d started to unpack!

Utilises space

The packing cubes enable you to roll your clothing, which I feel uses less space within each cube and reduces creasing. They also fit snuggly into your luggage maximising capacity. Other items such as straighteners and jewellery rolls slip in the spaces between cubes.

Saves Time/Space in Destination

The cubes assist you a lot when unpacking at your destination. You can simply lift the cubes out of your luggage and place them as they are with their contents still inside into drawers in your accommodation. This helps you save space when it is limited and time and can get you to the pool, beach or back more quickly after your arrival. An example of this was on our first cruise holiday in September. Space is limited inside a cruise cabin, I was able to lift out the cubes containing swimwear and lingerie straight into wire baskets on a carousel inside the wardrobe of our cabin. As well as keeping the storage spaces neat and tidy I also knew where to locate these. Again on our recent holiday to Corralejo even though there was adequate storage drawers I chose to lift the cubes straight from our suitcase into them. Even my tops and Johns shorts remained in cubes. Many of our beach holiday clothes are made from fabrics that don’t crease. We arrived at our apartment in late afternoon so we were itching to get out into the winter sunshine and anything to save time helped!

Packing cubes can be lifted out and transferred straight into drawers at your destination

This is my first post in which I hope can become a series of Travel Tip Thursday – I cannot promise that they will be weekly – I am just going to start today and see how this series develops.

Thanks for being here today

Have you used packing cubes? If so do you have any other uses for them? Let me know – I’m always ready to learn more

Winter Sun

Winter sun is something that most people want in the mid winter slump after Christmas and New Year. Fortunately for Mr Fitz and myself we have been fortunate enough for the past 10 years to be able to have a weeks holiday for a bit of winter sun in January. It has become a habit that we have chosen Corralejo in Fuerteventura every year.

Over recent years we have enjoyed regular holidays and short breaks several times a year, one of our favourite summer destinations is Croatia, read my review of it if you haven’t already.

About Corralejo and Fuerteventura

Corralejo is a town on the northeast coast of Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands of Spain. It’s known for Corralejo Natural Park, featuring windy, dune-backed beaches like Playa del Moro. The park is home to endangered wildlife and Montaña Roja, a volcano with panoramic views. The town, a former fishing village, is dotted with eateries and bars. Nearby Lobos Island is a nature reserve with rare birds.

Like all the Canary Islands it is a Volcanic Island, but fear not they are all dormant. The official average temperatures for Fuerteventra in January are Highs 21 and Lows 15 with 2 days rain per month. Over the years we have found daytime temperatures to reach quite a bit higher. Plenty of hours for winter sun. At night it can be cool and windy so a light jacket and jeans is recommended. We have also experienced days of heavy rain, but it is often at times when other parts of Europe and mainland Spain are also experiencing downpours.

Daytime has enough sunshine to sunbathe by the pool or on one of the many fabulous beaches. It’s great to feel the winter sun on your face.

Feeling warm sun on your face in January

Things to Do

It must be said that it is a very chilled, relaxed resort. Perfect for recharging your batteries in the dark months of Winter. If you want disco’s, Karaoke and rowdy English bars then it is not for you. That doesn’t mean to say you cannot find these but they are the exception rather than the rule.

During the day many people gently stroll around the resort and beach fronts. During the years we have been visiting tourism to the Island has increased and it is obvious that much of the income has been reinvested. The shops, hotels and facilities have improved and are of a high standard. There is a good bus service that can be used to access many if not all areas of the Island for sightseeing.

Shops selling designer items

One of the most stunning features are the beaches , no visit to Corralejo is complete without a trip to the famous Dunes. Miles of pure white sand and clear blue sea. A playground for fans of water sports and Kite surfing. A great opportunity for winter sun.

Kite surfing at the dunes

Mr Fitz enjoying the white sand at The Dunes of Corralejo

At night there are many fabulous restaurants serving a variety of cuisines, especially sea food. Plus there are many great quality takeaway’s and coffee shops.

Not forgetting the usual variety of Irish bars and bars showing football. There is an area in the Old Town known as the Music Square. It is a square surrounded by bars and restaurants and at night there is regular free musical entertainment and has a fabulous atmosphere. Three of our favourite bars are The Blue Rock in the Old Town, The Smiths Arms tucked away off the main street and O’Neils Irish Bar in the Atlantico Centre.

Some of our favourite haunts and restaurants are La Luna and Fado Rock close to the harbour. We ate at Fado Rock on the Saturday night of our stay. The food and service is exceptional. John had a fabulously fresh and tasty tomato and onion salad followed by a Fado special kebab, I loved my pork fillets with Roquefort sauce and canarian potatoes.

La Luna also has a lovely bar frequented by the locals. A perfect place for breakfast lunch or coffee is Bistro Cafe Latino on the sea front heading towards the harbour. A fabulous spot with great sea views by the sea

Enjoying coffee at Bistro Cafe Latino

Another great spot with sea views is the Bar Anno 2011 – serves fabulous cocktails and has a 2 for 1 happy hour between 5pm and 6pm. Great hosts and hospitality

Anno 2011 bar

The Harbour

Corralejo has a bustling harbour where ferries run regularly over to Playa Blanca on Lanzarote. A great suggestion for a day trip for lunch at the fabulous Rubicon harbour in that resort. You can also book a trip for a day trip with a picnic on a Catamaran, trips to Lobos to simply study its beauty and tranquility and soak up the sun. The water is extremely clear and you can see the fish feeding and the rocks on the sea bed.

El Cotillo

This is another beautiful old fishing village which is easily reached by bus, car or taxi from Corralejo. Much smaller than its neighbour it is really quaint but with another long quiet stunning beach. It is surrounded by beautiful lagoons where you can find the ultimate i peace and tranquility.

The beach at El Cotllo

Both the dunes in Corralejo and the Lagoons in El Cotillo have areas frequented by naturalists but this is well known and well respected by all.

The only word of caution I would give about the resort is the pavements hold many potential trip hazards, even the newly relaid block paved areas. Take care walking especially when visiting bars and restaurants around the side roads, particularly after dusk.

Do you have a favourite resort you return to regularly or a favourite Winter sun destination? I love to hear about other people’s travel recommendations.

Thank you for stopping by to read I really appreciate I would love you to leave a comment or email me.

London at Christmas is magical. I spent a lovely 3 days in London at the beginning of December with 3 of my girlfriends. It was a trip we had been planning since around February. I think it was me that instigated it by saying that I had never visited the shops or visited London at London or seen the Christmas lights.

Our visit was Thursday to Saturday, trying to avoid the busyness of the weekend. We all became friends through our shared hobby of entering competitions. Due to this we were able to pool some of the prizes we had won during the year, mostly experience vouchers, to cover the cost of many of our treats. The downside to this was that we had a few prizes to to claim which dictated a lot of our time and itinerary. We never did get to see the Regent Street lights at night! Read on to see what we got up to.

The idea of the trip began in around February time and we began to actually plan from around September. By booking train tickets and hotel rooms early we were able to get these at discount rates to minimise the expense of a trip to London at Christmas

As we had got a discounted rail fare by booking early we were able to travel First Class. Our day started with a bacon sandwich, tea and coffee. This was soon followed by a shared bottle of Moet and Chandon champagne!

Our hotel was the hub by Premier Inn Kings Cross. We each had a double room. The rooms are modern and compact and are perfect for 1 occupant. The bed is classed as a double but there is only access onto it from 1 side, meaning there would be a bit of a squash for 2 and if the occupant nearest the wall needed the loo at night they would have to climb over the other! The bathroom and shower was more than adequate – the rooms are well thought out to maximise space.

Double bed

Bathroom hub at Premier Inn Kings Cross

The hotel itself is in a great location with a lively bar and restaurant. Breakfast was included and described as Continental, this really did not do it justice there was a very large range of produce and choice available. The hotel was very well staffed and they were all so efficient and friendly. We would all definitely stay here again.

We travelled around the City using buses and Uber mostly. The first afternoon we headed to Regent Street and Liberty. As stated a couple of us had never visited London at Christmas before. A trip to Liberty was high on our to see list. I loved the old building with the fabulous Oak staircases and panelling. We loved browsing the very expensive silk scarves and handbags.

Liberty

Magical displays throughout Liberty

So many beautiful silk scarves

Next stop was Fortnum and Mason’s food hall, again another venue I had never visited. We all purchased a few treats for family and friends. I really liked the decor and produce available. Pricey but a lovely Christmas treat.

Fortnum and Mason window display

An expensive, indulgent Fortnum and Mason hamper

Our long day continued with Afternoon Tea in the The Galvin at The Athaneum Hotel. A lovely setting with friendly staff and great food. We are serial afternoon teaers! If there is such a thing and enjoyed the fare of offer.

Afternoon tea at The Galvin

Our final destination for the first day was over to the Apollo Theatre to watch Everybodys Talking About Jamie. I have to admit this was not my choice of show, I would have preferred a couple of others over this but I also know that I can be set in my ways regarding what I watch at the theatre and it is good to be introduced to performances I may not have chosen myself!that We had a couple of pre performance drinks in The White Horse close to the theatre. Myself and Mr Fitz love pubs and it has to be said that London have so many magnificent hostelries. That alone is a purpose for visiting the City!

The show has a very contemporary feel and subject matter, briefly the show revolves around Jamie and his school friends. Jamie is a 16 year old boy living on a council estate, he is openly gay and his career aspiration is to become a drag queen. His mother and friends are supportive, his estranged father is not. His best friend is a muslim girl in a Hijab. There are lots of risque lines and gestures but I have to say despite my reservations it was so entertaining and had you grinning from ear to ear. A real feel good show.

Third row seats! Everybodys talking about Jamie

The thrill of London Theatreland

Following this it was back to the hotel for a final night cap in the bar after a very long enjoyable day.

Our second day started early again as we had purchased tickets for Kensington Palace for 10.30 am. The Palace has 2 exhibitions covered by the ticket – Princess Diana’s dresses and Queen Victoria revisited. You can walk around the Palace in any order. We chose to look at the state rooms first where we came across a performance from 2 actors as Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The theme was the Royals at Christmas and they acted out a piece about their plans for the day which culminated in an audience participation rendition of the 12 days of Christmas – well the first 5 only. This was so entertaining and we were so glad we caught it!

In the presence of royalty

The Queen Victoria exhibition was so fascinating, it was so interesting to see so many authentic pieces like clothing, pictures and jewellery on display.

An original painting of a young Queen Victoria

Emerald and diamond jewellery designed by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria

We saved the exhibition of Princess Diana’s until last, this was the main reason for visiting the Palace. We are all fans of Diana, I personally remember her wedding and was working a night shift the night she died and watched all the events unfold in real time following the live news broadcasts.

The exhibition was smaller than we expected, in fact one of my friends commented that it was a little like the way Diana was seen by the Royals at the end, someone to be tucked away from public view. We learned that many of her dresses were auctioned off for charity and then loaned back to the Palace to be displayed. We really enjoyed looking at those available, including the tweed suit she wore on honeymoon at Balmoral – to be honest this is hideous and dowdy! There is also the dark blue velvet dress that she wore when she danced with John Travolta.

A selection of Princess Diana’s dresses

The one we all wanted to see – known as the Revenge Dress was not included in the exhibition unfortunately. For £16 a ticket we thought it great value for money.

Next stop was Harrods and again the Food Hall before enjoying a cream tea in Harrods tea room. We were sat next to the pianist and it was a very festive enjoyable hour.

Harrods cream tea

We returned to our hotel for a freshen up before dinner that we had pre booked at The Parcel Yard at Kings Cross. This venue was so busy and noisy but we had good food and service. The bar and restaurant was packed with people celebrating London at Christmas.

After a final night cap it was time for bed again after another busy packed day.

Before our return home the next morning we visited St Pancras station to see the Tiffany Christmas tree and ate a very large brunch at Bill’s in Islington – a prize of a £100 tab! We all ate really well and had enough funds left for a last bottle of champagne! After all it is Christmas.

Tiffany Christmas tree at St Pancras station

Brunch at Bills restaurant

Champagne at 12MD – don’t mind if we do

This was so enjoyable, even though Mr Fitz is my best friend and soul mate I think it is good to have time away with your girlfriends – good for the soul and gave us all the opportunity to do the things that our men don’t always want to do.

Have you been to any of these venues? Did you like them as much as us? What do you like to do in London at Christmas? Let me know or tell me of other places we may visit when we return.

Email me or comment I love to hear from you – thanks for reading today

A Michelin Star dining experience has been on our wish list for a while. So we visited Northcote Manor on the night of my lovely husbands 60th birthday last month. I had booked and planned this as a surprise for the actual night itself. We are both foodies and love dining out as well as watching hours of cooking on TV. He knew I’d booked an overnight stay but not where however, as the day grew nearer I was a bit panicky about surprising him and revealed the venue and Michelin Star experience the week before.

Northcote Manor is a renowned small luxury hotel with a Michelin star restaurant situated on the edge of the Ribble Valley, in the heart of Lancashire. Lisa Goodwin Allen is the Executive chef after taking over from Nigel Haworth, both seen regularly on TV Cookery programmes, including the Great British Menu.

We traveled by car and the journey took less than an hour. It was easy to find and is a manor house set just off the main road in expansive gardens which include an area where they grow some of their own produce.

Our room was in the Garden Lodge set aside from the main Manor house housing the restaurant. We had booked the Tasting Break which included an overnight stay, a 6 course dinner and breakfast the following morning. We were allocated room 21, which was huge, a large double bed, sofa and doors to a private terrace fully surrounded by a hedge for privacy. The bathroom was fabulous with complimentary Temple Spa toiletries. Check in was super smooth and there was a birthday card from the hotel waiting for John in our room.

Dinner was booked for 7 and we had a pre dinner drink in the bar in the Manor House, this was so cosy and inviting. The short walk from the Garden Lodge to the Manor house is lit up and well paved, umbrellas are available in each room in the event of inclement weather. As it was October the terraces were bare but it was clear to see that there were many outdoor chairs and tables available to enjoy a drink outside in the summer admiring the surroundings and views. We were served 2 small hors d’oeuvres in the bar before being invited into the main restaurant.

The restaurant is luxurious to look at with attentive service. It is a high end experience as expected by a Michelin Star restaurant. Every course was explained to us as it was served. I chose to purchase the wine flight for myself, John stuck to beer, and the Sommelier provided a choice for a couple of courses. The service was excellent but a little too formal for our liking, after all we are only humble people who like to experience a taste of the good life and good food occasionally.

Neither of us like pink meat, we could be classed as old fashioned as we love all meat dished ‘well done’. The Aged Hand Cut Beef was a version of steak tartare, so we asked for an alternative if possible. The request was no problem and we were given the equivalent course from their plant based menu, which was:

The courses were small but very rich with fabulous mixes of flavours and textures. The Partridge wasn’t really us, although we did eat most of us. My favourite course was the Cornish Turbot, absolutely delicious.

Following dinner we had one final nightcap in the lounge bar, with its roaring fire and dimmed lighting. Before retiring back to our lovely room. We were both full and satisfied from this luxury experience.

Following a great nights sleep we returned to the main restaurant for their version of a Full English Breakfast. Service was a little slow at breakfast but the food when it arrived was just the right portion size after the previous nights hearty dinner.

Cooked English Breakfast

Overall this was a one off experience for us for a special occasion, it was expensive, costing just under £600. There are large service charges added to each aspect of service. Our after dinner drinks of a pint of cider and a Baileys cost £24! We were really pleased to be able to experience this dining experience but would not repeat in a hurry. The one downside for me was that the temperature in the restaurant both at dinner and breakfast was too warm, I appreciate that being in the throws of the menopause this was my problem, but Mr Fitz also felt uncomfortable at times in the heat.

In summary though it was a fabulous experience for a pair of foodies like us for a one off celebration. If you were looking for a top class venue with Michelin Star food I would highly recommend it.

Dining out is our favourite pastime.

Have you had a luxury dining experience or a similar treat for a special occasion let me know what you did or where you dined at. We are always looking for places to visit to stay and dine. Leave me a comment or email me, I love to hear from you.

Before I retired I rarely watched You Tube, apart from watching something Manchester City related or a ‘how to’ video after googling for an answer to a particular problem.

Now I’m a little obsessed and for a while preferred to watch You tube Video’s over TV whilst at home during the day. I still treat myself to a brew in bed with YouTube one morning during the week. Often Monday as a treat for not having to go out to work anymore. Spoiled I know!

I watch so many and as well as regular You Tube channels that I am subscribed to I can get lost watching new channels that are recommended to me.

I’ve decided to share 10 and it was hard to narrow it down to only 10. So here goes!

Sparklyblonde1 – This is Faith from Michigan in USA and one of the 1st I followed regularly. I love her home, especially her office and make up room! I have 2 rooms that I can rename the same but they certainly don’t look like her. My office is full of Ebay clutter, but I’m working on the other! Faith is obsessed with Fall and Christmas this means she often posts infrequently during other times of the years. I don’t mind though as I recognise that now. Plus she has the cutest dogs!

HotandFlashy – Angie is an over 50’s Vlogger from USA and yes her channel is about age appropriate beauty products, the menopause, fashion and food. She has a lovely figure so some of her clothing looks are not suitable for my short dumpy frame – but hey I can dream. I used to love her Foundation Friday posts.

HowJenDoesIt – Jen is another US Vlogger who talks about Organisation. If you will have seen some of my earlier posts, particularly my post about moving house, you will know that since taking early retirement I have become a little obsessed with organisation. I was too knackered when working. I love it now, I do feel that an organised house does lead to calmness and a more productive life.

Clutterbug – This lovely, bubbly Vlogger is Cassandra from Canada. She is a stay at home mom who vlogs about decluttering and home organisation plus cleaning tips. She is adorable, such a sunny personality and manner about her. Rapidly becoming one of my favourites out there.

Caroline (Mrs M) – Caroline Matthews is an English Vlogger who has just turned 50. She is an Ebay reseller and a lifestyle vlogger. She appears to ahve quite an affluent lifestyle but does love a bargain and seems to like so many similar things to me. As an Ebay reseller myself I also pick up hints and tips from her.

Carla Jenkins – Carla is an absolutely hilarious and crazy Ebay reseller. I enjoy watching what she picks up to resell. She has recently been doing a live chat on a Sunday lunchtime. Never fails to make me laugh.

Neisha – from SugarPuffand Fluff – has such a lovely personality and always looks fabulous. I find her hair care vieos so helpful with my fine hair problems.

It’s Em – Emma is a UK based lifestyle vlogger. She posts a weekend vlog plus other regular vlogs about lifestyle and plus size fashion. I was introduced to her by Caroline Mrs, who mentioned that she liked her. She is a lovely girl and includes her husband Chris in the Vlogs too. A really enjoyable Vlogger who discusses many things and includes Travel too.

Emma Drew – Emma is another English vlogger who is a brand ambassador for Poundland. She also talks about money making and money saving plus how to build a blog. Now I’m retired I am much more money savvy. I am currently undertaking coaching sessions from Emma to help me build and grow my blog. An excellent teacher.

EECC Travel – whilst planning my recent cruise trip I was looking for cruise related video’s. A lot of the UK ones were pure information and ship tours. This lovely American couple vlog about their many cruises and there are a lot of fun clips in their vlogs as well as great hints and tips. They really promote the fun and relaxation as well as entertainment that can be had on a cruise line. Plus they have THE BEST theme tune in my opinion.

Well those are my current top 10. I hope you find at least one of these to follow too. Do you l you love You Tube? If so please recommend others that I can follow too. Also I have started my own channel but it’s been stop start as my editing and filming skill are not quite there yet maybe someone can point me in the direction of a good youtube course or editing course.

This post is part of the Blogtober18 initiative hosted by Mandi at Big Family Organised Chaos please click the logo below to learn more and see other bloggers involved.

This post is about avoiding excessive weight gain whilst on holiday. You may have read that I have recently returned from my first ever cruise holiday. It was my present to my husband for his 60th Birthday. We sailed with P & O on Oceana around Greece. We loved it! In fact we have booked two further cruises with the same company.

The one thing that everyone talks about with cruise holidays is the amount and quality of food available and consumed. Mr Fitz and I are real foodies and live to eat, but we are also conscious of increasing weight gain as we age. I particularly struggle, particularly with menopausal weight gain around the middle, something I describe in an earlier post. We wanted to enjoy all the food on offer but not suffer the consequences of too much weight gain to deal with on our return.

I enjoyed all the fabulous food and cocktails on offer, in fact, if I’m brutally honest the largest proportion of my calories were from the delicious cocktails. I don’t think we over indulged, enjoying a full cooked breakfast every day, only lunching or snacking in the middle of the day on a couple of days, but enjoyed a full evening dinner. We rarely had room for a dessert and only visited the late buffet on one occasion.

Fabulous food Creamy Malaysian Prawn Curry

On our return I was so pleased to weigh myself and discover that my weight gain was only 1lb – RESULT!

How did I manage this – did I have a secret weapon?

The answer is Exercise! Mr Fitz and I took measures to remain active as damage limitation.

We used the on board gym. It was well equipped with an area for weights and lots of cardio equipment. The exercise bikes and treadmills all faced out through tinted full length windows to sea. We didn’t necessarily attend the gym together. On a couple of occasions other activities meant we attended separately.

I’ve been promising myself that I would take up yoga, not just for fitness but to help with my chronic back problem and joint problems, again something I have talked about in a precious post. There were yoga classes available and I took the opportunity to join in whilst on the cruise. I really enjoyed it and have been to a further class at my local gym since my return.

Daily we took a brisk walk around the promenade deck. There was a sign informing passengers that 3.2 laps around this deck equaled 1 mile. Most days we managed minimum 2 miles. A really enjoyable walk and one enjoyed by many other passengers.

On port days off the ship we too the opportunity to walk as much as possible around the places we visited. We visited the ports independently rather than taking organised trips. I wore my pedometer and recorded walking distances of around 4 miles on average per port.

On board fitness suite

In summary we were eager to enjoy the fabulous food served on our Cruise but managed to counteract any excesses by planning to exercise using the facilities available and walking as much as possible to avoid any excessive weight gain. Being active and devoting time to this did not detract from our fabulous holiday.

Has anyone got any further hints on tips how to enjoy your cruise holiday to the full whilst minimising the effects of extra calories? Let me know or email me. I love to learn new strategies.

This post is part of Well Being Wednesday linky and Blogtober2018. If you like this post you may wish to read my schedule for the rest of the month

Why not take a look at some of the other sites involved in Blogtober2018

Blogtober 2018 will be here and starting in a weeks time. In previous years I have enjoyed reading other bloggers content. This year as I’ve started blogging in earnest I am going to get involved.

What is Blogtober 2018?

Basically, Blogtober is a month of blogging every day in the month of October. Oh yes! That’s correct, every day. The whole idea is to celebrate creativity and the concept of creating content. In an ideal world I would prepare well in advance – but as someone who works better to deadlines I’m only just starting to plan 7 days in advance.

As far as I’m aware, there are no set rules to it. You just post once every day, and that’s it. Contrary to what I used to believe , you do not need to centre the topic of your posts on things to do with October and Autumn but of course there’s nothing to stop you doing this. I think mine will be a mixture because I love autumn. See my previous post about it.

There isn’t even a need to have organised all of your 31 posts prior to the month starting; as helpful as it can be, don’t be put off if you haven’t given it much thought thus far. The whole idea is that it’s a fun way to put content out there!

So on a quick whim and after a quick brain dump here is my planned schedule of posts

Well there they are – what a list! A mixture of autumn themed content and random topics. I hope there is something here for everyone – not just my peers over 50. I’d love your comments – are you taking part? Or have you been involved in previous years and giving it a break this year?

Wow! The month of August just flew by! I say that every month – they say time passes faster as you get older and that sure applies to me especially now I’m retired. I regularly comment that days never passed passed so fast when I was in work! Before I outline my September goals

Before I start with my September goals I thought I’d provide a progress report on how I did in August – if you missed them feel free to take a look now.

Declutter – I managed most of the cupboard – just the baskets on the second to bottom shelf to sort through and to tidy my handbag shelf. I feel pleased with my progress – my great nice, Gracie helped me with the top shelf. I keep props for photograph competitions in there and it was a large box that’s difficult to lift down, so together we sorted it and divided it into smaller baskets. Gracie had great fun trying on the wigs and glasses! Whilst sorting out the shelves I found some ‘lost’ items! Here’s an updated photo below – still got too many toiletries though!

Admin – I managed to gather all my receipts together and sort them into months ready for completing my Self Assessment for the tax year ending 2018.

Gym – I managed to keep visiting 3 times a week for 3 weeks of the month. My knee problem was aggravated and cased me a lot of pain and discomfort but that wasn’t the reason why I missed a week! I was dog sitting and it sort of disturbed my routine! I didn’t lose any weight though – I had lost 1.5 inches off my weight but it’s all back again after missing that week – which was the last in the month!

Cooking – that was a bit of a fail only tried one new recipe, which wasn’t completely new, but one I had not cooked for a couple of years! You can see my post and recipe about this here

Now on to September

My September goals will be quite short and sweet due to having a holiday. They are:

Holiday– Mr Fitz and I are going on our first ever Cruise holiday this month. I may have mentioned but he reaches a milestone birthday in October – 60. This is another example of time flying by so fast – to others he’s an older man losing his hair and what’s remaining is silver but to me he’s still the young lad I married 33 years ago this month. He’s not really into material possessions so this holiday is my gift to him. We really enjoy our holidays but have never been on a Cruise. Friends have glowing reports but John’s really not sure it’s for him but decided to ‘give it a go!’ For that reason we are just taking a 7 night cruise around Greece with P&O to see if we like it. I hope this will provide me with inspiration for more posts and I will tell you all about it next month!

Fitness – I hope to continue my fitness routine, even on the cruise. It has a gym and obviously large decks to walk around. I know this sounds ambitious but as foodies, we don’t intend on holding back from enjoying all the lovely food on offer. Therefore we want to plan some fitness activities into our week as damage limitation.

Admin – Continuing from last month now that my paper work is all together I intend to complete my online self assessment and submit before the end of this month.

Celebrate – it is our 33rd wedding anniversary on the 28th so we will no doubt celebrate with a nice meal somewhere but not sure where yet.

In the words of Bugs Bunny – that’s all Folks! I hope September will be a month mostly of fun, relaxation and celebration. I have a huge list of things that I could add but I want to set be realistic about my activity this month.

Hope you had a good August and are planning a great September – let me know by commenting or email how you did or what you are planning. Also if you have any hints or tips for our cruise holiday I’d love to hear them too.

A holiday to Croatia in the Adriatic Sea

As usual there has been a large gap between posts – I can totally agree with all retirees who claim they are busier than ever! My OH has commented recently that he does not know how I found time to work full time! I need to put pen to paper to tell you about how fabulous a Croatia holiday is.

I have been busy with a fabulous Croatia holiday. We absolutely love this country and have only seen a small part of it. My interest in the country stems from my love of football (well that’s a surprise!). During Euro 1996 the Croatian National Team entered a team for the first time following the Baltic crisis. I thought they were a great team, some great players including Davor Suker and Slaven Bilic, once manager of West Ham.

At the time I said to John – I want to visit there some day and watch that team play!

A holiday in Croatia

It took a while but in 2010 we finally got to visit. We stayed in Dubrovnik in a fabulous hotel called The Grand Villa Argentina, just outside the iconic City walls. A beautiful hotel in a stunning location. Most hotels in Croatia are not located on beaches but have naturally formed bathing platforms on rocky outcrops next to the sea. This hotel has a fabulous pool on the edge of the Adriatic and breakfast is served on an outdoor terrace. A fabulous recommendation for a Croatia holiday.

During our trip we visited the small town of Cavtat 14km away by boat . A trip recommended by friends. On arrival it was love at first sight. A small resort built around 2 horseshoe bays, which are visited by spectacular yachts, the quay sides are edged with fabulous restaurants and cafe bars serving great local beer, wine, cocktails and produce.

Having stayed in this resort 4 times now, we find it perfect. Dubrovnik itself is very busy and crowded within the walls during the day from visiting cruise ship tourists. Cavtat in contrast is laid back, picturesque and less busy. There is a great crowd there, a mixture of the locals and tourists. Disliking karaoke and traditional English bars. I love the European laid back Cafe culture. Many of the tourists who stay here are 40 plus but that does not mean it is dull. In the bars at night a lot of the locals come out to drink and eat, many young in their 20’s. It has a real ‘trendy’ vibe and the locals are so friendly. Visitors are enthralled by their fabulous manners and chat.

Even though I am addicted to football, I really dislike the loud, brash English football shirt wearing tourist, I don’t mind seeing football shirts being worn, after all football is a great conversation opener, but I dislike the loud, drunken behaviour that sometimes goes with it.
On 3 of our visits now there has been a football tournament on. 2 Euro’s and a World Cup. In Cavtat, all the bars and restaurants put up outdoor TV screens when games are scheduled. The sound is unobtrusive but visitors and locals alike can watch games. I have enjoyed watching the Croatian National Team play whilst visiting there. The locals appear in their team colours with their flags. They are quite vocal but not too rowdy, although it is handy that you cannot tell what they are saying, but it all looks friendly enough!

They have lost 2 tournaments when we have been there, but here is the difference that makes me warm to these fabulous people even more. There are no histrionics, tears or acts of frustration, they just shrug their shoulders and carry on their normal business, continuing to enjoy their evening and chat as if nothing had happened. I commented to one of the waiters how well they took defeat. His reply was “tomorrow is another day, the sun will still shine!” A great response and attitude.
Croatia is a lovely place, with wonderful people. Don’t be put off by their dour faced exteriors – engage in conversation and they come alive – great wit and humour. Getting to know them is a highlight of any Croatia holiday.They appreciate you visiting their wonderful country – after all tourism is their biggest earner! The views and scenery are delightful, a lovely mixture of the clear Adriatic , framed by Mountains, beautiful flowers and Pine trees. Friends always comment how beautiful it looks when they see my photographs on my social media pages.

Why have a Croatia holiday?

It is an ideal destination for the over 50’s who wish to experience a chilled, relaxing holiday with beautiful scenery and a friendly welcome.

And finally I cannot end without mentioning the beer and wine! I think two of their local beers Karlovacko and Osujszco are 2 of the best I’ve ever tasted, plus their red wines aren’t bad either, Plavac and Dingac. Such a pity they don’t export, although I know M&S stocked a Plavac for a while.

I really recommend a Croatia holiday if you love fabulous scenery, Cafe Culture and clear waters.

If you’re tempted to visit how about looking at some recommendations from Trip Advisor

If you’ve visited or are planning a trip what are your thoughts – let me know your experiences I’d love to hear from you.

Consequently if you are looking to travel further afield maybe across the Pond to USA – why not hop over to The Geordie Grandma and read her review of a holiday in New Orleans

If you want to know more about how I am loving life in retirement read more

Primary Sidebar

I’m Elaine a Neonatal Nurse who retired from the NHS at age 55. I’m loving this next phase of my life – Retirement is the best job I ever had. I want to share over 50’s lifestyle tips including age appropriate beauty reviews, coping with the trials and tribulations of the Menopause, weight gain around the middle, fashion, travel. Also using my Neonatal experience for gift guides and ways to support families of Preterm and sick newborns.